Taxonomy, Biology and Ecology of Tuber macrosporum Vittad. and Tuber mesentericum Vittad.

Not all the commercial truffles (Tuber sp.) have equal importance in the market. Tuber macrosporum and Tuber mesentericum are considered less valued species, due to the peculiar organoleptic traits and/or the limited amounts collected and available to trade. However, some markets refer them as truffles of promising and increasing value. In this chapter, a revision of the taxonomy, biology and ecology of these two species is reported and discussed using published literature, original data and personal experiences in the field with the main aim to clarify the identity of T. macrosporum and T. mesentericum in the fungal tree of life.